Next-generation protein-based materials capture and preserve projectiles from supersonic impacts
Next-generation protein-based materials capture and preserve projectiles from supersonic impacts
Extreme energy-dissipating materials are essential for a range of applications. The military and police force require ballistic armour to ensure the safety of their personnel, while the aerospace industry requires materials that enable the capture, preservation and study of hypervelocity projectiles. However, current industry standards display at least one inherent limitation, such as weight, breathability, stiffness, durability and failure to preserve captured projectiles. To resolve these limitations, we have turned to nature, using proteins that have evolved over millennia to enable effective energy dissipation. Specifically, a recombinant form of the mechanosensitive protein talin was incorporated into a monomeric unit and crosslinked, resulting in a talin shock-absorbing material (TSAM). When subjected to 1.5 km s−1 supersonic shots, TSAMs were shown to absorb the impact and capture and preserve the projectile.
1060-1066
Doolan, Jack A.
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Alesbrook, Luke S.
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Baker, Karen
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Brown, Ian R.
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Williams, George T.
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Hilton, Kira L.F.
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Tabata, Makoto
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Wozniakiewicz, Penelope J.
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Hiscock, Jennifer R.
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Goult, Benjamin T.
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September 2023
Doolan, Jack A.
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Alesbrook, Luke S.
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Baker, Karen
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Brown, Ian R.
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Williams, George T.
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Hilton, Kira L.F.
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Tabata, Makoto
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Wozniakiewicz, Penelope J.
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Hiscock, Jennifer R.
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Goult, Benjamin T.
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Doolan, Jack A., Alesbrook, Luke S., Baker, Karen, Brown, Ian R., Williams, George T., Hilton, Kira L.F., Tabata, Makoto, Wozniakiewicz, Penelope J., Hiscock, Jennifer R. and Goult, Benjamin T.
(2023)
Next-generation protein-based materials capture and preserve projectiles from supersonic impacts.
Nature Nanotechnology, 18 (9), .
(doi:10.1038/s41565-023-01431-1).
Abstract
Extreme energy-dissipating materials are essential for a range of applications. The military and police force require ballistic armour to ensure the safety of their personnel, while the aerospace industry requires materials that enable the capture, preservation and study of hypervelocity projectiles. However, current industry standards display at least one inherent limitation, such as weight, breathability, stiffness, durability and failure to preserve captured projectiles. To resolve these limitations, we have turned to nature, using proteins that have evolved over millennia to enable effective energy dissipation. Specifically, a recombinant form of the mechanosensitive protein talin was incorporated into a monomeric unit and crosslinked, resulting in a talin shock-absorbing material (TSAM). When subjected to 1.5 km s−1 supersonic shots, TSAMs were shown to absorb the impact and capture and preserve the projectile.
Text
s41565-023-01431-1
- Version of Record
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 19 May 2023
e-pub ahead of print date: 3 July 2023
Published date: September 2023
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
B.T.G. acknowledges BBSRC (grant no. BB/S007245/1), Cancer Research UK Program grant (no. DRCRPG-May21) for funding and The Royal Society Project grant (no. RGS\R2\192016). J.A.D. acknowledges the University of Kent for funding. J.R.H. thanks UK Research and Innovation for the funding of her Future Leaders Fellowship (grant no. MR/T020415/1). P.J.W. thanks the Science and Technology Facilities Council grant (no. ST/S000348/1) for support of the Impact Facility at Kent. The TSAM material is pending a UK Patent Application grant no. GB2216633.4.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s).
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 480528
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/480528
ISSN: 1748-3387
PURE UUID: ea067148-bc0b-4322-afdf-3fba08d8f769
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Date deposited: 04 Aug 2023 16:31
Last modified: 28 Aug 2024 02:12
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Contributors
Author:
Jack A. Doolan
Author:
Luke S. Alesbrook
Author:
Karen Baker
Author:
Ian R. Brown
Author:
George T. Williams
Author:
Kira L.F. Hilton
Author:
Makoto Tabata
Author:
Penelope J. Wozniakiewicz
Author:
Jennifer R. Hiscock
Author:
Benjamin T. Goult
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